Employment Information

Both your cover letter and your resume are important when looking for offshore drilling employment. You need to get HR to read both, otherwise it’s all for nothing. First, you need to attract their attention. This is easy – your email (cover letter) subject just needs to state the job title (and code, if any) in the advertisement. Then your cover letter must make them read your resume. Finally, getting you the interview is the job of your resume. For your cover letter, here are three elements necessary to make it powerful…

1. Do You Have Any Relevant Job Experience?

If you had one working week to select 20 candidates out of 500 for interviews, and all you had to go on was their cover letters and resumes, how would you do it? Whether you start from the earliest job applications, or the latest, or randomly open the emails, you would not read every cover letter and resume in detail. When you open the email (cover letter), you’ll only have time to look at the first half-page. It must give you a reason to read on and open the candidate’s resume, otherwise you’ll just move the job application to your trash folder.

So what makes the HR staff decide whether or not to read the rest of your cover letter and resume? The most important factor is relevant job experience. Unless you are going in through the back door, or the company is desperate for workers, your previous job experience is critical to selection. That means you must quickly and concisely state the most relevant points in your job history and tie it to the scope and requirements stated in the job advertisement.

But what if you have never worked in the oil industry before? During the oil boom, experience didn’t matter. But that is not the case during a recession. However, there is still a chance if you can get some relevant training under your belt. Oil is of strategic importance to many nations, and governments have training programs in place to provide workers for the oil industry. While the actual training may take place in technical or community colleges, the syllabus is designed by the oil industry.

Training can be expensive, but the oil industry still pays very well, so it is worth it. Before you pay for your own training, though, you should check if qualify for any form of subsidy. For example, disadvantaged youths in the US may qualify for the JobCorps program, while ex-servicemen in Britain have special training programs to prepare them for offshore oil rig jobs.

2. Do You Have Any Outstanding Skills?

Besides meeting the scope and requirements of the advertised oil rig jobs, is there any other thing that might make you special? Do you exceed the requirements in any way? For example, if the advertised roustabout jobs say they need people with 2 years of working experience, do you have 5 years? If you can add this kind of depth, and successfully make your case in the cover letter, you’ll have a better chance of getting hired.

However, depth is not the only way. How about breadth? Do you have any extra skills? Let’s take that same roustabout job. Perhaps you have scaffolding experience? Then say so. Companies always want people with some extra skills, as long as they don’t have to pay for it. Every boss wants his workers to be able to back each other up. He cannot afford to have critical jobs left undone just because the only guy who can do it broke a leg or something like that.

3. Can You Start Work Immediately?

Being able to start work immediately is always a strong point in your favor. If you can start work immediately, you can sometimes trump a rival with better experience. However, this does not just mean not having a job right now. You need to clear a lot of red tape before you can work on an offshore oil rig. If you have already dealt with the necessary paperwork, this saves the human resource staff a lot of trouble and they will be more willing to call you up.

While they aren’t supposed to behave this way, they are also human. In any case, this is a list of government paperwork you often have to deal with:

Firefighting certificate

First aid certificate

Helicopter underwater escape training certificate

Offshore survival certificate

Vaccinations

Passport

Visa

Relevant local union membership(s)

There is no fixed format for a cover letter. Neither is there such a thing as a perfect cover letter for offshore drilling employment. However, one thing is clear – your cover letter must have the above three important elements to persuade HR to read your resume.

How To Really Save On Gift-Giving – Nike Basketball Shoes
You can offer your skills to recipients in the form of redeemable coupons from you Nike Dunk SB. Are you a carpenter or plumber Then print off a coupon offering to do some work for your recipient of your gift that you know they need.

A single mom would especially appreciate a gift certificate for work around the house Nike Air Force 1. No specialized skills How about offering babysitting services for several nights for the young family on your list And of course, most everyone can bake some cookies so put them in a nice tin with a bow on top.op.

Perhaps youre a gourmet cook or can put together a week of frozen meals for that special person Nike Basketball Shoes. After all everyone eats!4.

Make your own specialized gift baskets Nike Basketball Shoes. For example, do you have a high school student on your list that is going off to college next year Put together a basket of sample size toiletries to help them get started in their new dorm.

This is good for the traveller on your list too. Cat lover Pick up some catnip, small cans of food or treats and wrap it up in with a bow. Dollar stores, superstores, and drug stores are great places to pick up deals on these types of items. You may have a basket around the house or pick some up for very little at a dollar store or second hand store.5. Re-gifting. Im not a huge fan of re-gifting, but sometimes desperate times call for desperate measures. Certainly, these days some people are comfortable with it. Just be sure that the item is brand new, never opened and is not something that has a built in expiration date. Old scented candles or soap for example should never be re-gifted because they lose their smell over time.

The Social Security Administration (SSA) has created the Social Security Number Verification System (SSNVS), an online system that offers employers free Social Security verification for new employees. Employers can verify the numbers and names employees give to employers match and are correct on their W-2 forms.

To learn more about this free Social Security verification system, keep reading.

The Enumeration Verification System Basics for Employers

Employers can register for the Enumeration Verification System by visiting the SSA’s website at ssa.gov/bso/bsowelcome.htm. From this page, the employer must first register for a username and password. Once registered, they can obtain instant results by searching for employee Social Security numbers.

Why You Should E-Verify All New Hires

E-Verify (formerly known as Basic Pilot) is a free online-based tool that lets employers conduct employment verification checks of new employees with the Social Security Administration and all DHS databases.

Essentially, once a job applicant presents their documents showing both their identity and employment eligibility, an employer has 3 days from the official hiring date to perform an E-Verify check. By using the E-Verify tool, an employer is granted civil and criminal immunity for all the employees it runs through the system in good faith. The legal benefits are massive and it’s a free service.

Though running regular E-Verify checks on all new hires is an essential part of protecting yourself legally, employers must sill be diligent and responsible. A good employer will aggressively hunt down Social Security fraud and potential abuses by checking the origination of certain Social Security numbers and verifying a photo identification.

The Enumeration Verification System for Lenders

Loan companies are also often prey to instances of Social Security number fraud. This system allows lenders to input a loan applicant’s Social Security number and name. After processing the request, they will receive a “no match” or “match” which will show if the Social Security number is correct.

This verification service is run through third-party vendors and is not free. However, it’s a critical tool for verifying identity and preventing fraud.

If you’re searching for free Social Security verification tools, your only option is with the Social Security Administration or through a lender’s vendor. To conduct Social Security number checks, you must be registered with the SSA as an employer and have the proper signed documentation from your new hires.

Finding a job in this economy can be a daunting and difficult task. In a competitive job market employers become more stringent and will disqualify applicants that provide incorrect or incomplete information about themselves over the past 10 years. When employers find discrepancies between the information you provided and what they find out in your background check report, they assume that you are either disorganized, less-than-truthful, or just plain dishonest. Whatever the case, the result is that you dont receive a job offer. Thats why you must secure your place among the top candidates by making sure you will pass your pre-employment background check.

As a private detective who specializes in background investigations, I want to share with you what I have learned over the past 15 years in conducting tens of thousands of background checks for small, medium, large and fortune 500 companies. Even though I charge $150 an hour for consulting services, I am providing my expert advice to you free of charge because I want you to succeed. If I can help even just a few people find a job and secure their familys future, I will feel like I am doing my part to help get our countrys economy back on track.

So lets jump right in to what you came here to for: the top 3 reasons why applicants fail their background check.

REASON #1: FAILURE TO DISCLOSE A CRIMINAL RECORD

You know that little question on every job application with a checkbox next to it that says something like Have you ever been convicted of a crime? Well you need to know the correct answer to this question before you check the box. So let me clarify what this question means to employers: what they really want to know is if you are honest and trustworthy. They can and will find out if you have a criminal record when they conduct the background check, no matter how you answer. So if you say no, and you have a criminal conviction on your record, what you are really demonstrating is that you are not honest and cannot be trusted.

If you do have a criminal conviction and you answer yes to the question, you are giving yourself the best possible chance of getting a job offer by being honest and straightforward. Provide accurate details about the charge, the date, and the county of conviction. When the background check comes back, the employer will see that you have given all of the complete and accurate details up front. This shows you are being open and honest, and that you are taking responsibility for what you did and moving on with your life. You would be surprised to know how often employers are willing to overlook criminal records with applicants that have good solid experience or a winning personality. You can increase your chances of this happening by applying for positions where your conviction is unrelated to the duties of the job you are applying for. For instance, if you were convicted of a DUI, I wouldnt apply for a driving position, or if you were convicted of theft I wouldnt apply for a cash handling position.

REASON #2: INACCURATE OR INCOMPLETE WORK HISTORY

Employers want to see accurate and complete information concerning your former employers. The reason for this is again a matter of principal. The employers perspective is that they want honest and organized employees, and if you dont remember the details of your job experience, then why are you listing it on your resume or application? And they do have a point. If you are a very organized person, you probably already have a document prepared with all of the details concerning all of the jobs you have held over the past 10 years. For the rest of us, gathering up all of this information is a near-impossible task, especially if you have job-hopped quite a bit. So whats the next best thing to having a master document with the details of all your previous work experience? Have a professional background screener compile one for you. That way when you fill out an application you can be confident that you will have the exact same information in front of you as the employer will receive after completing your background check.

The information that you need to compile before filling out a job application consists of the information that is asked on most application forms, such as the ex-employers name, address and telephone number, exact dates of employment, your job title per the employer, (not the one you were in theory or the one you thought you deserved) your beginning and ending pay rates, and your reason for leaving as recorded by the employer. Notice the common theme here is that your information should match exactly the information that your ex-employer is going to release when asked. This strategy pays dividends many times over, and will help you to avoid failing a background check for providing inaccurate or incomplete work history information.

REASON #3:FICTITIOUS, EXAGGERATED OR INACCURATE EDUCATION CLAIMS

Employers base pay scales, individual pay rates, job descriptions and job requirements in part on educational qualifications. Even though many job positions require a certain level of education only as a minimum requirement, employers take offense when an applicant misrepresents or overstates their education, because it violates their sense of fair play. If you dont meet the minimum requirements, then you shouldnt be applying for the position. Employers also see this as an economic issue; if they are going to be paying you a certain wage based in part on educational credentials you dont actually have, then they are paying for something that they never received. No company is this economy wants to feel like they are being defrauded.

That is why it is so important to be very specific in stating your education credentials. Dont say you graduated if you didnt, even if you were just one credit hour short. If you attended a trade school for 8 months, dont say you were there for a year. If you graduated with a 2.5 grade average, dont say you had a 3.0. If you have a GED, say so, but dont say that you graduated high school; its not the same. If you never attended college, dont say that you attended a university that burned down in 1980. Professional investigators like myself, who do background checks for a living will see right through it, and relay that to our client who requested the background check.

Luckily, you can easily obtain a copy of your background check online to uncover what a potential employer will find before they find it. Instead of filling out an application wondering if you remembered to write down everything correctly, you can just look at your own master document compiled by a professional background screening firm.

A word to the wise: there are thousands of websites that sell instant background checks online. These are not professional background screening firms that conduct investigations for large employers. Most of them are just information brokers that sell instant data that has been circulating around the web for years. Make sure that you select a professional background screening firm or private detective agency that does on-request delayed searches, which are researched once you place your order and not instant results.

The bottom line is that in order to be safe, you need to know exactly what a prospective employer is going to find on your background check report. A professional background screening firm that deals with the public can cut out all the work of obtaining the background information about you, and organize it into a report that you can receive in your email box. Instead of having to go to city hall, the courthouse, your high school and other places that hold this information, you can get it all online by ordering a pre-employment background check on yourself.

Good luck and success on your job hunt!

Is it possible to walk away from your employer and join its competitor? If there was a non-compete clause in your employment, this may not be this easy. Majority of employers have a restrictive clause in the employment agreement that you need to sign before you join any organization. This restricts your scope of employment later.

If you did not get an employment attorney to review your employment agreement before you signed it, you may have no idea about how the non-compete clause affects you. Moreover, it is enforceable as per the Florida Statutes Section 542.335 under certain circumstances. Here is a quick look at the details.

When is such an agreement enforceable? The agreement is enforceable only if it protects a legitimate business interest. Here are the acceptable ones:

Trade secrets
Confidential business information of substantial value
Relationships with prospective/existing customers of substantial value
Customer goodwill related to a business or the geographic location of a business
Training of extraordinary/extraordinary nature

Moreover, the restrictive clause must be reasonable in nature and duration to be enforceable.

What legal consequences may you face if you violate this clause? Such an action may lead to financial penalties as well as injunctions to restrict further violations. In most cases, an employer would ask for a temporary injunction and a subsequent hearing. The court may order such an injunction within three months from the date of filing in Florida.

What do you do if there is an allegation of violation? The most important thing to do is find out a Fort Lauderdale employment attorney for consultation. It was possible to avoid such a legal hassle if you consulted him/her before you signed the non-compete agreement. However, it is never too late.

What strategies may you use for defense? The most popular strategy in use is to prove that the employer was at a breach before your breach. Suppose your employer failed to pay you the leave pay you were entitled to get. In such a situation, the court of law may deem the agreement not enforceable.

If the restrictive clause in the employment agreement is too broad, in scope or duration, the laws permit the Florida court to -blue pencil’ it. In such a circumstance, the court may reduce the restrictions of the non-compete agreement. Your employment attorney knows best which strategy to use if you ever face an allegation of violation of the clause.